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The Eventbrite Guide to Class ReunionsWhen it comes to planning a reunion, it’s normal to feel some of
that pre-exam pressure rushing back. But don’t worry—we’ve
helped thousands of class reunion organizers throw the party of
the decade. Just follow this handy how-to guide and get ready to
plan a reunion that’ll go down in class history.
Tips
Plan Your ReunionWhen considering how to plan a reunion, remember that perception is reality. The more professional
you seem, the more likely your classmates are to show up for the big event. So start planning the details
early, and your classmates will take notice.
1
The �rst (and arguably most important) step to planning a reunion is
�nding your classmates. Start with social media and professional
networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. Create a group for your
graduating class on Facebook (if one doesn’t already exist), and spread
the word. You can also �nd and contact fellow university alums on
LinkedIn by clicking on “Find Alumni” in the “Connections” tab.
Once your classmates are in one virtual place, you can send out
important updates—like Save the Dates and ticket sale announcements.
Find Classmates
Once you’ve started assembling your classmates, work on securing a
date. Reunion turnouts depend on your classmates’ availability, so get on
their calendars early. We recommend using an online survey tool—like
Survey Monkey, Google Forms, or Doodle—to ask which dates work best.
Popular times for reunions are September and October, because of
homecoming and football games, and around Thanksgiving or
Christmas, when classmates are already home for the holidays.
Lock Down a Date
It’s all about teamwork. So reconnect with former classmates, and assign
them roles based on their strengths and interests, such as:
The Chair: The person making sure the train stays on the rails.
The Treasurer: That person who loves tracking expenses.
The Promoter: The person you can trust to get the word out.
The Producer: The punctual, “make it happen” person.
Don’t forget to list your organizing committee members on the event page.
Form a Committee
Once you decide on a date and have your committee formed, it’s time
to �gure out how you’ll sell tickets to your reunion. Online ticketing
platforms like Eventbrite are a great way to collect RSVPs and funds at
the same time.
At Eventbrite, we’ve got you covered with a one-stop shop where you can
create a webpage for your class reunion, spread the word to your
classmates, and manage your ticket sales.
Create Your Event Page
Start by identifying the vibe you’re
going for. Will your reunion be
contemporary and colorful, or
sophisticated and formal? Then be
realistic about how many people will
show up. The last thing you want is a
space that you’ll never �ll, or an
over�owing room of cranky
classmates. When evaluating your
venue, bring a checklist of questions to
ask the manager. Make sure to
address parking, WiFi access, storage
space, audio-visual equipment, and
cleanup protocol.
Vibe + Size = Venue
It’s important to know how you’re
going to cover all the reunion
expenses. There are a few di�erent
approaches, but you may want to
consider opening a bank account for
your class. That way, you can deposit
money into the account and pay for
expenses with the bank card. If you’re
interested in going this route, we
recommend that you check with a
legal or �nancial professional in your
area to �nd out how to get started.
Set up a class bank account
There are typically two spikes in the ticketing lifecycle. It’s common to see one when tickets �rst go on
sale, and then again the week the event is taking place. Knowing that there will be a natural lull, here are
a few steps you can take to keep the momentum going.
Do you want half of your class to show? A quarter? Start with a goal for
yourself and the organizing committee, and then build out a promotional
plan to get there.
Think about which channels you want to use, and then create a calendar
where you can schedule create a calendar where you can plan out your
promotions/promotional schedule you plan on sending out. Keep in
mind that people will likely procrastinate, so do what you can to build
the hype early and get commitment from your classmates.
Set Goals & Timelines
Once you have identi�ed the channels you’ll use to promote your class
reunion, you need to �nd a way to track what’s working and what’s not.
Eventbrite o�ers “tracking links” that allow you to measure the success
of every tweet, post, or email that you send. The other option is to ask
people when they register how they heard about the class reunion.
Trust us, you’ll be thankful you have this info when you make that last
push for tickets—or when you start planning the next get-together.
Track Progress
When assembling your organizing committee, consider asking each
member to commit to selling a certain number of tickets. Then set a
“stretch goal”— 2 to 3 more tickets than you think they can sell.
Use Eventbrite’s tracking links to follow their progress and periodically
share how they’re doing. To up the ante, you can even create a little
friendly competition by rewarding the highest seller with a gift certi�cate
or bottle of wine.
Tap Your Committee
People on the fence about attending can be motivated to buy if they
know they’ll be saving money. By setting up Early Bird tickets at a lower
price than regular tickets, you can encourage your classmates to
purchase ahead of time, relieving your worries about sales—and allowing
you to plan food and drink provisions. With Eventbrite, you can even set
up these di�erent tickets in advance and schedule them to automatically
go on sale on a certain date.
Set Early Bird Ticket Prices
Promote Your Reunion2
If you’re on any of the many social
networks, you have likely seen the
hashtag #tbt used in the caption of a
picture that looks like it was taken
days, months, or years ago.
Throwback Thursday has become a
popular way to share photos from the
past, so use it to help you promote
your reunion. Dig up pictures from
school, share them with the
#tbt hashtag, and include the link to
your class reunion event page. We
guarantee a giggle or two.
Make sure to promote not only the
reunion, but all the fun people
going—this will be a huge deciding
factor for many people who are
hesitant about attending.
Reach out to classmates who were
part of di�erent social circles in
school, and have stayed in touch with
their peers over the years. Ask them
for help promoting the reunion, and
then list them as a member of the
organizing or host committee on the
event page. With Eventbrite, you can
also display the names of people who
have purchased tickets, so get those
social in�uencers to sign up �rst.
Tap social in�uencers
Throwback Thursday (#tbt)
Tips
Tips
When the big day arrives, there are a few things you’ll want to keep an eye on.
No need to panic — the hard parts are over.
Host Your Reunion3
Regardless of how formal your reunion is, be sure to set up a check-in
table or greeter. People like to be welcomed rather than wander inside
looking lost. It’s also your chance to keep attendance, re-introduce
yourself, and let your guests know where the food and drinks are located.
While your classmates may never forget a face, they will inevitably forget
a name. So, help ‘em out with nametags at the check-in table. Pre-print
them directly through Eventbrite or have your guests make their own.
Check In
Remember those hits from back in the day? Your friends do too.
Use Eventbrite’s Custom Questions feature to survey your classmates
about their favorite old-school songs when they’re purchasing their
tickets. Use their responses to create the ultimate throwback playlist.
Trust us, your classmates will love it!
Make a Playlist
Chances are, a few of your classmates overcame a bit of anxiety and/or
traveled a ways to attend the reunion. It’s only appropriate to say a few
words and thank everyone for attending. The key is keeping it short...
no one came to the reunion to hear a long, drawn-out speech ;)
And if public speaking isn’t your thing, delegate it to someone else. Or,
simply raise a glass, say thanks for coming, and get back to celebrating.
Say a Few Words
Hashtags are great ways to track the conversation in the lead-up to your
class reunion, so encourage your classmates to use one when they’re
posting to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. etc.
It’s also an easy way to collect pictures from the reunion itself, so be sure
to promote your hashtag everywhere at the event.
A few pointers on hashtags:
Limit yourself to one hashtag
Keep it short and sweet to make it easier for your classmates
to remember
Post it everywhere and anywhere, including on signage at your event
Use a Hashtag
If you’re going to invest in one thing
for your reunion, it should be a
photographer. Why? The reason you’re
all coming together is to recount old
memories, so you might as well
document the new ones being
made—and chances are, you and your
classmates will be too busy making
those memories to snap photos.
Remember, it’s less about hiring the
best photographer and more about
assigning the responsibility to
someone. So if you don’t have the
budget to hire a professional, consider
inviting a friend or sibling with a nice
camera.
Invite a photographer
While you don’t need to stay up all
night making personalized place cards,
you should think about adding a few
nice touches of �air here and there.
Our suggestion: Go to a thrift shop and
pick up some old picture frames and
vases. Spray paint the frames your
school colors and insert photos or
event signage. Put some matching
�owers in the vases and voilà, you’re all
set. If you’re looking for more, take a
peek at Pinterest, where you’re sure to
�nd plenty of DIY inspiration.
Decorate on a dime
Tips
You just threw a phenomenal event, but it’s not over yet. Reach out and thank your attendees for
coming, and your host committee for all their help. You may even consider helping out the next
class as they think through how to plan a reunion.
Stay Connected4
Congrats! You made it! Enjoy that post-event glow a bit, but before
you box everything up and get back to livin’, send a note out to your
classmates thanking everyone for coming, and requesting that all
pictures be sent your way. You can store the photos online in a folder
with Box.com or Dropbox.
Follow Up with an Email
The most important step in your post-event follow-up is to send a note to
your organizing committee thanking them for their help. Email is great,
hand-written is better. My mom totally agrees.
Thank Your Committee
It’s likely that your next reunion is several years down the road, so be sure
to pull all of the data (including emails and phone numbers) into one safe
place. It’s not a bad idea to store them in a Google Doc, or upload them to
the same folder where you’re storing your photos. You can also keep
them in your Eventbrite account. You’ll thank yourself when it comes time
to plan your next reunion, trust us.
Keep Your Data
Class reunion organizing is a rite of passage that every graduating class
has to experience. Since you’ve mastered the art, you might as well share
your tips and tricks with the next class. Let them know how to promote
their reunion, give them tips for selecting a venue, and share the tools
you used to get the job done. You can always forward this guide to
them as well.
Help the Next Class
Follow up with a survey to ask
your classmates what they loved
(or loathed) about the reunion. Their
feedback will not only help you throw
better events in the future, it will be
excellent advice for the next class
planning their reunion.
Get feedback
There are big moments — both happy
and sad — that will happen in your
classmates’ lives between now and
your next reunion. Consider keeping
their email addresses close by and
sending email updates to your
classmates when the time comes
to send a card or �owers.
Be the messenger
Bonus Points: Make a New Tradition
Tailgate
Trivia NightThanksgiving Eve Pre-Party
Mimosa Brunch Scavenger Hunt
Service Activity
Not all reunions have to look alike, so go ahead and think outside the box!
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Hometown football games tend to draw a good
crowd. Consider a big tailgate before the game to
gather the old crew.
Rally your classmates and volunteer for a local
charity. It feels good to come together as a class
and make a positive di�erence in your community.
Get the gang back together for a night of trivia. Test
everyone’s knowledge of your graduation year or
alma mater for some guaranteed laughs.
Is everyone headed out the night before Thanksgiving?
Take advantage of this tradition! Schedule your
reunion that night, or make your reunion the
pre-party before the class-wide bar crawl.
If everyone’s coming home for the holidays,
consider hosting a brunch �lled with champagne
and televised football games.
Get classmates to form teams based on their
former homerooms or majors. Send them on a hunt
around old stomping grounds and popular
hangouts.
Ready to Get this Party Started?
Now that you’re a reunion-planning expert, all you need to do is start setting up your event website. Don’t worry,
we’re in it together! Eventbrite has your back with endless tips, tutorials, and 24/7 customer support.
www.eventbrite.com